Sabtu, 13 Januari 2018

SHORT STORY



THE STRUGGLE
            “Whatever Mom and Dad say…I do not care…” Tamara said it and walked to her room.
            “Tamara, you should listen to me…” Her Mother grabbed her hand.
            “No…!” Tamara screamed.
            “Listen to me!” Her Father pushed her and forced her to sit “You should know that continue your study in another city, especially in Jakarta is not as easy as it seem…”
            “I will study hard to get there…I promise you” Tamara cut her Father’s word.
            “I know you can do it, I know you have big ambition…I believe in you but you never life alone and far from us before…how can you survive in that city? How can you get a food? You cannot even cook and you cannot even wash your clothes without the washing machine” Her Mother worried.
            “I can survive, I can prove it…I can order some foods and delivered it to my room and I can bring all of my clothes to the laundry…simple Mom, life is getting so much easier nowadays” Tamara said it confidently.
            There was nothing that Tamara’s parents could do to make her changed her mind because her parents actually knew the reason why Tamara want to continue her study in Jakarta. The reason why Tamara wanted to continue her study in Jakarta is because of her sister. Her sister always said to her that she wanted to continue her study in one of the most popular university in Jakarta and took economic major because she wanted to be an accountant someday. Unfortunately, she could not make it, she failed to pass the entrance test and decided to end her life by jump from the 7th floor in that university.
Therefore, Tamara wanted to make her sister’s dream came true. Tamara always studied every day. She practiced a lot of exercises and took a course but, there were some friends who underestimate her. They thought Tamara will never passed the entrance test of, they bully her and said if she paid a lot of money to that university, she could pass the test. Everybody knew that Tamara’s parents were rich enough to do that but, Tamara never wanted that happen. She believed in her ability and she could pass the text purely event she was not one of the smartest student at her school. She was just an ordinary student from a small city who has a high struggle and ambition.
Sometimes, her parents worried if Tamara could not pass the test, she would do the same thing as her sister did and the parents would lost their two lovely daughters, but Tamara convinced them that she would not do that, even if she failed…she would take the test again next year and study even harder. Looking the struggle that Tamara made, her parents believe that she could pass this test easily.
***
            A week after the entrance test held, the university announced that Tamara passed the test and officially became the student of that university. Miracle did exist as long as we believe in ourselves, Tamara prove that. Her parents really proud of Tamara’s struggle and ambition. The following day, Tamara officially moved to Jakarta and life at a rent house near to the campus.
On the orientation day, Tamara got bully by almost all students there because they knew that Tamara came from a small city. They thought this Campus was not suitable place for her, but Tamara did not care at all. She has already gotten bully since she still in senior high school so, it is not a problem for her. She could face this situation.
            After a month, Tamara got home sick. She missed her parents so much. Even sometimes when she arrived at her rent house after spent a day at campus, she always called her Mom and Dad but yeah…no one will answer her called. Every time she ate, she always felt empty because there was no her parents anymore who sit next to her and she always missed the taste of her mother’s food. Tamara and her parents actually always keep in touch, sometimes their parents phoned her or sometimes Tamara who phoned them, but still it was not the same if they have not met. So in this week end, Tamara decided to go back to her hometown. Tamara could not stand to see her parents.
***
            When Tamara arrived at her home. She surprised that there was written: This house was confiscated on her door house. Tamara could not also find her parents.
            “Excuse me…Do you know where were my parents going?” she decided to ask her neighbor.
            “Uh…your parents moved to a rent house not too far from here, it is in front of that building” Said the neighbor pointed to the 3rd floor building on the corner of the street.
            “B… but why they do that?” Tamara confused.
            “You do not know that your Father become a corruptor?”
            “What? How come? I do not believe it…that is impossible! My Father is the most honest person I knew!” Tamara screamed.
            “But that’s the truth…” Without her neighbor finished the sentence, she ran and covered her ears with her hand. No… she did not want to hear anything from her neighbor, that was must be something wrong with it. She should know the truth from her Father.
***
            At the rent house, her Father explained everything. Like she expected, her Father never did that. The truth was her father got accused by his friend. His friend who actually took all the money from the company. His friend eliminated all the evidence and ran away. In addition, because of her Father worked in financial part of this company, it made him got accused easily. Life got so much cruel nowadays, just because of money people could do anything without even thinking the risk.
            “We should do anything, Dad…we should do anything to prove that is not you who took all the money…”
            “I try to call your uncle…he is a really good lawyer…I hope he can help me”
            “He should! Of course! He should do anything to prove you right!”
            “But we do not have money, Tamara” Her Mother frustrated.
            “What? Money? What is money for?”
            “Money to pay the lawyer”
            “But the lawyer is my uncle…the lawyer is your brother, Dad!”
            “But I do not think that he will help us” Her Mother hopeless.
            “W…hat? How come..?” Tamara stuttered.
            “I will try to call him” Father said.
            “You have called him 5 times since an hour ago…but what? He does not even want to answer it!” Mother started to cry.
            “I will wait…maybe he is busy right now” Father tried to find excuses.
            “You will wait? You will wait till the police come and get you into prison?! The problem is money! He knew that we do not have enough money to pay him, so he never picked up the phone and answer your call” Mother cried out loud and Father lost his word, he did not know how to calm Mom. And Tamara still confused.
This was just about money. How come people got so cruel and forgot that they still have family. Even with their family, they asked for money. Tamara really mad until the tears was too afraid to come down. Tamara felt so down, sad, and mad at the same time. Those mix feeing really bother her whole day.
***
            The following day, Tamara and her Mother should let her Father got into prison for several years. Even it was really hard to let her father go, but they should.  Both Tamara and her Mother have been sad for a week. They did not have power to do their activity as usual without their father by their side. But Tamara realized, they could not do that for too long, her father will be disappointed. So Tamara searched for scholarship to continue her study as a lawyer. She would do anything to manage the absurd law in Indonesia even she should give up on her study in her previous major. She would not let anyone felt the same way. She would not let money and absurd law separate father with his daughter and his wife anymore.
            Maybe Tamara looked she did not have enough commitment on what she actually want to be. The first one, she wanted to be an accountant because of her sister and then, she wanted to be a lawyer because of her father, but as long as with the same struggle, hard work, and ambition, she could become everything she wanted. It proven after a few years studying in law major, Tamara became the youngest lawyer who always won the case that she took.

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